AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Global AIDS Patients, Doctors Lobby Congress on PEPFAR Reauthorization

AHF — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:22:39 +0000

AIDS patients and doctors from South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Haiti and Vietnam will visit 50 congressional offices this week to tell their personal stories and press legislators to continue to honor the US’ commitment to PEPFAR, the respected global AIDS care program

AHF Chief of Global Advocacy Terri Ford, Global Policy Manager Denys Nazarov, South African Patient Advocate Jenny Boyce, and AHF Nigeria Country Program Manager Dr. Salami Olawale stand beside a piece of a current AHF campaign in Washington, D.C. which admonishes the Obama Administration's precedent-setting and disappointing retreat on the global fight against AIDS

Five AIDS treatment clients, three doctors and several senior staff members from AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and its treatment clinics around the world, including individuals from South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, Haiti and Vietnam, traveled to the United States for a series of over 50 meetings this week (May 20-24) on Capitol Hill with Senate and Congressional leaders to lobby Congress to honor the US’ landmark commitment to PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), the successful US global AIDS program as it comes up for reauthorization in the coming months.

The group, all of whom are treatment clients, global team members, or medical health care providers of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), which provides AIDS medical care to more than 200,000 individuals in 28 countries worldwide, will lobby Congress to ensure that funding for PEPFAR’s lifesaving efforts continue at appropriate levels and to urge legislators to demand accountability so that PEPFAR countries operate their AIDS treatment programs in the most cost effective ways by reducing the amount permitted to be spent on overhead and bureaucracy.

In mid-February, as the US observed the tenth anniversary of PEPFAR, which President George W. Bush first proposed in his 2003 State of the Union address, the effects of devastating—and deadly—cuts to PEPFAR were beginning to be felt around the world.

“In Fiscal-Year 2012, federal funding for global AIDS was $6.63 billion. President Obama’s fiscal year 2013 budget proposed spending $6.42 billion,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation in a statement. “In human terms, that difference represents 640,000 people with HIV/AIDS that could receive lifesaving AIDS treatment for one year.”

“Retreat on HIV & AIDS funding will mean that a number of innocent children will be orphans,” said Nozipho, a 31-year-old South African woman who found out she was positive in 2004 when she became pregnant with her child. She contemplated suicide until she learned that ARVs, if taken properly, have the ability to suppress the virus and allow her to live. Nizipho named her child ‘Naledi’ meaning, ‘a star’ and is determined to stay alive to see her grow up. She is a community outreach worker at AHF and says, “In conversations in Washington this week and through my ongoing advocacy and outreach work at home in South Africa, I am working tirelessly to ensure that retreat on global AIDS does not happen.”

Last World AIDS Day, the President spoke in front of a sign that
said, ‘End AIDS’. Well, we challenge him to do that. It can be done,
we now know that. Does he have what it takes?”

Terri Ford, Chief of Global Advocacy and Policy for AHF

“In retrospect, we question President Obama’s promise to scale up treatment to 6 million people by 2013,” said Terri Ford, Chief of Global Advocacy and Policy for AHF. “Last World AIDS Day, the President spoke in front of a sign that said, ‘End AIDS’. Well, we challenge him to do that. It can be done, we now know that. Does he have what it takes? It certainly doesn’t seem so. His actions show that the U.S. is not committed to staying the course in the fight against AIDS. This is the time to double down and conquer AIDS across the globe. We are seeking a measurable scale up of testing and treatment, not a retreat on AIDS!”

According to a CQ Healthbeat article on the overseas AIDS patients’ lobbing visits (5/20/13, Rebecca Adams), “The group is also asking appropriators to include report language that would urge the Department of State ‘to seek to devote 75 percent of PEPFAR dollars to antiretroviral drug and medical treatment and HIV testing.’ The organization also wants a provision saying, ‘The committee urges the Department to implement a yearly per-patient contribution for AIDS treatment of $275.00,’ which is approximately the amount of money that it takes for the organization to provide treatment through its clinics.

CQ HealthBeat: Advocacy Group Bringing Overseas Patients to Lobby for PEPFAR Renewal

AHF — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:04:57 +0000

By Rebecca Adams
CQ HealthBeat Associate Editor

Many AIDS policy analysts assume that Congress may not have time to reauthorize major global HIV-AIDS programs this year. But one organization is determined to keep pushing for it by taking foreign patients to lobby Capitol Hill next week.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which runs treatment clinics around the globe, is bringing in patients and providers from Haiti, South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria and Vietnam to press lawmakers of both parties to renew the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR.

Even federal officials have expressed some doubts about whether lawmakers will pass a reauthorization this year. Some HIV-AIDS activists are sanguine about the lack of momentum around updating the law, saying that it is working fine as it is and that they expect appropriators to keep funding it. They worry that reauthorization might actually be dangerous, because Republicans could cut funding or try to add policy riders that advocates oppose (See related story, CQ HealthBeat, April 30, 2013).

But the AIDS Healthcare Foundation sees an opportunity for shifting PEPFAR funds to the areas that they are involved in — testing and treating patients. Currently, the group estimates that about one-fourth of that money goes toward those activities, down from about half in 2006.

The group is also asking appropriators to include report language that would urge the Department of State “to seek to devote 75 percent of PEPFAR dollars to antiretroviral drug and medical treatment and HIV testing.” The organization also wants a provision saying, “The committee urges the Department to implement a yearly per-patient contribution for AIDS treatment of $275.00,” which is approximately the amount of money that it takes for the organization to provide treatment through its clinics.

The suggested provision also would say: “The committee is concerned about the amount of funds being spent on administrative costs throughout PEPFAR, both within the Department and by providers and host countries. … In a time of fiscal constraint, capping administrative costs at the 10 percent would provide a greater share of dollars to invest in programs. The committee urges the Department to adopt a 10 percent cap on administrative costs, and requests a report be submitted to the committees on appropriations no later than January 15, 2014, on the amount and percentage of administrative and overhead costs being spent at the Department.”

Administrative costs are capped in many domestic AIDS programs at about 10 percent for some grants and contracts.

The group’s language assumes that appropriators would provide $7.73 billion for PEPFAR, which is higher than President Barack Obama’s budget request.

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation general counsel Tom Myers notes that treatment sharply reduces the chances that a patient will pass on the virus to someone else, because patients receiving medicine are much less infectious. He said that by cutting the per-person and administrative costs, PEPFAR can help more people without spending more money.

Myers acknowledges that many AIDS advocates don’t agree with all of the group’s positions, but he is hoping that the 50 meetings with lawmakers in both parties next week will pay off.

“Hopefully we can persuade people to take the time to reauthorize the program and tailor the law to make a great program better,” said Myers.

PEPFAR was created by President George W. Bush in 2003 and has been lauded by global health policy experts affiliated with both parties.

Hundreds Rally in Swaziland Over AIDS Funding Cuts

AHF — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:52:21 +0000

About 400 people rallied together in southern Africa on May 17 to call for sustained funding for global AIDS programs like PEPFAR and the Global Fund March and memorial in the Swaziland capital city of Mbabane also stressed the importance of regular HIV testing and adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and emphasized the needs of those living with the virus

On Friday, May 17, 2013 AIDS Healthcare Foundation hosted the Swaziland Candlelight Memorial and Keep the Promise March in conjunction with local government’s Public Service HIV/AIDS Coordinating Committee (PSHACC). The march through the southern African country’s capital city of Mbabane saw hundreds of marchers coming together in a united call for sustained access to treatment through increased and maintained funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria – global programs that have seen funding cuts from the Obama Administration.

The march began at the Ministry of Public Service around 12:30 pm, and many citizens chose to spend their lunch break taking in the political action as the hundreds of protestors thronged through the streets of Mbabane led by two brass bands from the army and police forces. The procession concluded with a candlelit memorial in the main hall of the city’s St. Mark’s High School, where many distinguished guests gave speeches and gospel artist Nduduzo Matse performed.

Speakers at the memorial included PSHACC Director Richard Phungwayo, Pastor Zakhele Malaza, and Thembi Nkambule, the Director of the Swaziland Network for People Living with HIV/AIDS, who spoke of the importance of adhering to an antiretroviral treatment regimen if one is living with HIV. AHF Swaziland’s Country Program Manager, Dr. Nduduzo Dube, also spoke to the large crowd, addressing the challenges facing Swaziland as a result of the impending PEPFAR budget cuts and reinforcing the importance of continuing the global AIDS fight through personal choices like regular HIV testing, condom use, and the eradication of HIV stigma.

Additionally, several people shared their experiences as Swazi citizens living with HIV; these testimonials included the stories of Mr. and Mrs. Chirwa, two police officers who shared stories about living well with the virus and disclosing their HIV status. Schoolteacher Ms. Lindiwe Mahlalela also gave an inspirational speech about the challenges people living with HIV in Swaziland face every day, and the importance of supporting programs that promote treatment as prevention. Fifty-eight people were tested for HIV at the event, of whom three tested positive and were immediately linked to care.

Keep the Promise Ohio: Civil Rights Leader Julian Bond’s Speech

AHF — Sat, 18 May 2013 00:25:08 +0000

Julian Bond was Chairman of the NAACP Board of Directors from February 1998 until February 2010 and is now Chairman Emeritus. He is a Distinguished Scholar in the School of Government at American University in Washington, DC, and an Emeritus Professor in the Department of History at the University of Virginia. Mr. Bond was the keynote speaker at the “Keep the Promise on AIDS” march and rally on Saturday, May 11, in Cleveland, Ohio.

The following is the text of his speech:

Congratulations!
By your presence here today you are a part of a righteous non-violent army dedicated to vanquishing HIV/AIDS.

You will have to fight many battles on many fronts before that final victory is achieved. But win you must. As you well know, it is literally a matter of life and death.

Many years ago another non-violent army arose to challenge another scourge – the scourge of white supremacy.

Martin Luther King Jr. was the most famous and best known of the modern movement’s personalities, but it was a people’s movement. It produced leaders of its own; but it relied not on the noted but the nameless, not on the famous but the faceless. It didn’t wait for commands from afar to begin a campaign against injustice. It saw wrong and acted against it; it saw evil and brought it down.

Many stand now in reflection of that earlier movement’s successes, including the election of Barack Obama.

Looking back at that movement from today, we now see a very different view of the events and personalities of the period.

Instead of the towering figures of Kings and Kennedys standing alone, we now also see an army of anonymous women and men.

Instead of famous orations made to multitudes, we now also see the planning and work that preceded the triumphant speech.

Instead of a series of well-publicized marches and protests, we now also see long organizing campaigns and brave and lonely soldiers often working in near solitude.

Instead of prayerful petitions for government’s deliverance, we now see aggressive demands and the ethic of self-reliance and self-help.

We now realize our view of the movement’s goals was narrow too. Seeking more than the removal of racial segregation, the movement did not want to be integrated into a burning house; rather, it wanted to build a better house for everyone. It marched on Washington for freedom and jobs, not for abstract freedom alone.

And instead of a sudden and unanticipated upsurge in black activism in Montgomery in 1955, we now see a long and unceasing history of aggressive challenges to white supremacy that began as long ago as slavery time.

And instead of a movement that ended in 1968 with the death of Martin Luther King, we now see continued movement stretching form the ancient past until this moment, with different forms and personalities, in many places and locales, with differing methods and techniques, whose central goal has always been the expansion of human rights.

You – and the fight against AIDS – are a part of that struggle.

Once again a people’s movement is seeing wrong and acting against it, seeing evil and bringing it down. Relying not on the noted but on the nameless, not on the famous but on the faceless.

Relying on you!

HIV/AIDS is a disease. It must be treated – medically. But it also must be treated as a social justice issue.

It has been 32 years since we first learned of a disease that was killing gay men. It was perceived then as a white disease – as if there were no black men who were gay.

Now the face of AIDS here and abroad is primarily black. The majority of new infections here are black, the majority of people who die from AIDS here are black, and the people most at risk of contracting this virus in the United States are black.

That victims of AIDS largely have been members of marginalized populations has dictated the larger society’s response.

This includes the rabid homophobia that lives in our school, our homes and especially our churches.

Too often our churches, which should be places of refuge and love, have instead been places of hurt and pain.

Cafeteria Christian pick a biblical injunction from column A while ignoring those from columns B through Z. They sat that Leviticus 18:22 prohibits homosexuality and gay men are being punished for their sins.

Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. Does this apply to Mexicans or Canadians or both?

Exodus 21:7 sanctions selling my daughter into slavery. I have two very pretty daughters – what would be a fair price for the pair?

Leviticus 15:19-24 forbids me from having contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women seem to take offense. Are there any here? If so, should they be asked to leave?

My neighbors insist on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states they should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill them myself, or should I ask the police to do it for me?

Leviticus 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

My uncle has a farm. He violates Leviticus 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread, usually a cotton/polyester blend. He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them as it says in Leviticus 21:10-16? Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair?

Happily, at least partially at the urging of the NAACP I am glad to say, there is now a national commitment from faith leaders to address HIV and AIDS in the black community.

The title of a report recently issued by the NAACP says it all: “The Black Church and HIV: the Social Justice Imperative.”

The report details how the HIV/AIDS epidemic is driven by political, educational, economic and social inequality and concludes:
“HIV is one of the largest social just/civil rights issues facing our community today. It is not just a health issue; it is a social justice issue.”

The data are sobering. Black people are:

Less likely to know they have the virus;

Less likely to get treatment;

More likely to progress to AIDS within one year of receiving an HIV diagnosis, and

More likely to die of complications of AIDS than any other race

Almost every social indicator, from birth to death reflects black-white disparities. Infant mortality rates are 146 percent higher; rate of death from homicide 521 percent higher; lack of health insurance 42 percent more likely; the proportion with a college degree 60 percent lower. And the average white American will live 5 ½ years longer than the average black American.

Similarly, compared with other races and ethnicities, black Americans account for a higher proportion of HIV infections at all stages of the disease – from new infections to death.

That these same disparities show up in the context of HIV/AIDS is not because black people are more likely to have unprotected sex than other racial or ethnic groups. It is not because black people are more likely to have multiple sexual partners. Not because they are more likely to share needles.

It is because of barriers faced by blacks, including socioeconomic status and access to health care. It is because, in other words, of a lack of social injustice

In the United States of America, the richest country in the world, people are dying because of a lack of social justice.

HIV is the third leading cause of death among adult African-Americans. Although blacks are about 13% of the U.S. population, they account for 44% of all new HIV infections among those aged 13 years or older. An estimated 1 in 16 black men and 1 in 32 black women will be diagnosed with HIV in their lifetimes.

Behind the numbers are names. Those women and men need you.

They need you to stand with them, to take ownership of AIDS, and to fight this epidemic with every available resource.

We’re calling on America to engage in a coordinated campaign with concrete, measurable goals and objectives and real deadlines. Each of us must identify strategies and activities that match our unique niches and capabilities.

We must build a new sense of urgency in America, so that no one accepts the idea that the presence of HIV and AIDS is inevitable.

We’re calling on America to get informed about the science and facts about AIDS. Knowledge is a powerful weapon in this war.

We’re calling on Americans to get screened and find out their HIV status. I have – it took 20 minutes and was bloodless and painless. Knowing your HIV status and the status of your partner can save your life.

We’re calling for a massive effort to address the disproportionate impact this epidemic is having on black youth, women, injecting drug users and men who have sex with men.

We must also pressure our government and elected officials – at local, state and national levels – to be far more responsible partners than they have been. We must also work with elected officials to promote comprehensive, age-appropriate, culturally competent AIDS prevention efforts that give young people the tools that they need to protect themselves.

We must heed Martin Luther King Jr.’s warning, originally meant for others but right for us now: “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

We must advocate for justice in the fight against HIV/AIDS, just as we did the movement for civil rights.

So we have to work to do – none of it is easy, but we have never wished our way to freedom. Instead, we have always worked our way.

We must not forget that Martin Luther King stood before and with thousands, the people who made the mighty movement what it was.

From Jamestown’s slave pens to Montgomery’s boycotted busses, these ordinary men and women labored in obscurity, and from Montgomery forward they provided the foot soldiers of the freedom army. They shared, with King, “an abiding faith in America.”

They walked in dignity, rather than ride in shame. They faced bombs in Birmingham and mobs in Mississippi. They sat down at lunch counters so others could stand up. They marched – and they organized.

King didn’t march from Selma to Montgomery by herself. He didn’t speak to an empty field at the March on Washington. There were thousands marching with him, and before him, and thousands more who did the dirty work that preceded the triumphal march.

We have a long and honorable tradition of social justice in this country. It still sends forth the message that when we act together we can overcome.

We are such a young nation so recently removed from slavery that only my father’s generation stands between Julian Bond and human bondage. Like many others, I am the grandson of a slave.

My grandfather, James Bond, was born in 1863, in Kentucky; freedom didn’t come for him until the 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865.

He and his mother were property, like a horse or a chair. As a young girl, she had been given away as a wedding present to a new bride, and when that bride became pregnant, her husband – that’s my great-grandmother’s owner and master – exercised his right to take his wife’s slave as his mistress.

That union produced two children, one of them my grandfather.

At age 15, barely able to read and write, he hitched his tuition – a steer – to a rope and walked across Kentucky to Berea College and the college took him in.

When my grandfather graduated from Berea in 1892, the college asked him to deliver the commencement address.

He said to them:
“The pessimist from his corner looks out on the world of wickedness and sin, and blinded by all that is good or hopeful in the condition and progress of the human race, bewails the present state of affairs and predicts woeful things for the future.”

“In every cloud he beholds a destructive storm, in every shadow that falls across his path a lurking foe.”

“He forgets that the clouds also bring life and hope, that lightning purifies the atmosphere, that shadow and darkness prepare for sunshine and growth, and that hardships and adversity nerve the race, as the individual, for greater efforts and grander victories.”

With your efforts, we will achieve our victory. We will rid the world of AIDS!

And we can borrow a theme from the heroine of the hour, Amanda Berry and look forward to the day when we can say with her, “We are Free now, we are free!”

Over 1,000 rally for HIV/AIDS provisions at “Keep the Promise” march in Cleveland

AHF — Fri, 17 May 2013 00:00:59 +0000

Between 1,100 and 1,200 supporters participated in AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s “Keep the Promise on AIDS” march and rally on Saturday, May 11, in Cleveland, Ohio. The event — the fourth in the U.S. of a global series calling on officials to commit to stopping AIDS — featured Julian Bond, one of America’s foremost civil rights leaders. Musical guests included R&B songstress and superstar actress Brandy, local Cleveland artists Kaoz and Conya Doss, and a performance by the Shaw High School Marching Band.

Over 1,000 advocates call for global HIV/AIDS funding at “Keep the Promise” rally in Cleveland

AHF — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:41:39 +0000

Between 1,100 and 1,200 supporters participated in AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s “Keep the Promise on AIDS” march and rally on Saturday, May 11, in Cleveland, Ohio. The event — the fourth in the U.S. of a global series calling on officials to commit to stopping AIDS — featured Julian Bond, one of America’s foremost civil rights leaders. Musical guests included R&B songstress and superstar actress Brandy, local Cleveland artists Kaoz and Conya Doss, and a performance by the Shaw High School Marching Band.

In this photograph taken by AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation, AHF's Joey Terrill (left) with (center) long time Ohio AIDS advocate Eddie Hamilton and (right) Tracy Jones, executive director of the AIDS task force of Greater Cleveland at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's "Keep The Promise On AIDS" March and Rally, which kicked off at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Plaza on Saturday, May 11, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller /AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation)

“We thank Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson for the proclamation of today as “Keep the Promise Day”, a welcome first for our Keep the Promise cities,” AHF President Michael Weinstein said at the march. “Every citizen of Ohio, of the United States, and of the world as a whole has a right to good health, education to prevent the spread of HIV, and treatment if they are living with the virus. The Obama Administration must Keep the Promise to global communities reliant of PEPFAR as much as to local American communities like Cleveland who rely on legislation like the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides lifesaving prevention, care and treatment services to thousands.”

The crowd of advocates – some of whom traveled by bus from cities including Dayton, Toledo, Cincinnati, and Columbus – gathered at the historic Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Plaza on Cleveland’s waterfront at 12 noon on Saturday before commencing a processing through the streets of Cleveland to the Grand Ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel, where a free concert and speeches inspired the crowd in their joined call for President Obama to continue funding crucial global AIDS programs like the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and The Global Fund to Fight Tuberculosis, AIDS, and Malaria. Among the distinguished speakers were Bond, Cleveland City Council Member Joe Cimperman, Ohio State Representative Nickie Antonio, and Ohio State Senator Nina Turner.

In this photograph taken by AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation, R&B star Brandy performing on stage at AIDS Healthcare Foundation's "Keep The Promise On AIDS" March and Rally, on Saturday, May 11, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio. (David Richard /AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation)

“We must build a new sense of urgency in America so that no one accepts the idea that the presence of HIV and AIDS is inevitable,” said Bond in his speech. “We must advocate for justice in the fight against HIV/AIDS, just as we did in the movement for civil rights.”

To honor the awareness raised by the campaign and its importance in Ohio, Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson issued an official proclamation recognizing May 11, 2013 as “Keep the Promise Day.” The proclamation states that “the City of Cleveland joins local, national and international groups to express our support for Keep the Promise Day and the initiatives to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and provide access to and utilization of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and support services to those affected by HIV/AIDS.” Major supporters of the Cleveland “Keep the Promise” rally and march include the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland (ATGC) and Cincinnati’s Caracole, Inc.

In this photograph taken by AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Advocates marching in the AIDS Healthcare Foundation's "Keep The Promise On AIDS" March and Rally, on Saturday, May 11, 2013 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Jason Miller /AP Images for AIDS Healthcare Foundation)

Additional organizations from across the state signed on in support of the “Keep the Promise” march, with partners including: The City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga Office of Homeless Services, Miami Valley POZ 4 POZ, Cleveland’s Metro Hospital, Ebony Sisters Campaigning for AIDS Prevention Education (ESCAPE) from Columbus, Dayton’s First Baptist Church, Kettering’s Harmony Creek Church, and the ADAP Educational Initiative from Columbus.

Also in attendance at the march will be AHF’s Condom Nation a safer sex initiative that aims to distribute 50 million free condoms this year in the U.S. through a national tour of a 72-foot custom-wrapped “Condom Nation”-themed big rig.

This fourth “Keep the Promise” march follows the inaugural “Keep the Promise” March on Washington in July of last year, when a coalition of 1,432 organizations from 103 countries came together before the XIX International AIDS Conference to call for more global HIV/AIDS funding. A “Keep the Promise” march in Atlanta, Georgia on November 3, 2012 served as a clarion call to better address HIV/AIDS in the South, through funding, health care reform, prevention and care in rural areas, and affordable housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. The third “Keep the Promise” rally and march—this time in New York City – was held in April and featured both a rousing concert and an inspiring march across the Brooklyn Bridge.

More information about the “Keep the Promise” effort can be found at www.keepthepromiseonAIDS.org and by following the group on Facebook and on Twitter @KTPonAIDS.

Action Alert: Tell Obama to “Keep the Promise” on AIDS

AHF — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:06:53 +0000

President Obama is set to go down in history as the first President to scale back the
U.S. commitment to fighting the global AIDS epidemic

Tell the President to Keep the Promise on AIDS: Sign the Petition Today!

For the past two weeks, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has run an advocacy campaign aimed at U.S. President Barack Obama for his lackluster response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the U.S. and globally. President Obama is set to go down in history as the first President to scale back the U.S. HIV/AIDS funding commitment. The “It’s A Shame” ads—which can be seen on ten bus shelters in the area surrounding the White House—play on the rhetoric and imagery of the iconic “Hope” ads from his 2008 presidential campaign and aim to highlight promises unfulfilled. The ads direct viewers to www.changeaidsobama.org for more information.

Make your voice heard by signing the petition TODAY asking President Obama to Keep the Promise on AIDS!

President Obama has proposed reducing funding for PEPFAR and scaling back treatment. In 2013, the President proposed cutting the program by $214 million. In the 2014 proposed budget, the President doubled down on these cuts by once again proposing to slash PEPFARs budget by hundreds of million of dollars compared to previous years. In human terms, these cuts will deny treatment to at least 640,000 people.

In addition, under the Obama administration’s tenure, the percentage of PEPFAR funding spent on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment has fallen from 40% to less than 25%. One immediate effect in South Africa: the respected AIDS clinic (Sini’kithemba clinic) at McCord Hospital in Durban closed as a result of reduced global funding including the PEPFAR cuts.

In the U.S., during President Obama’s time in office waiting lists for state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAPs) have ballooned from 43 people when he took office in January 2009 to as many as 10,000 people last year.

Join AHF in asking President Obama to turn this Shame into Hope. Tell him to fully fund PEPFAR and prioritize AIDS in his domestic agenda.

Ask him to make saving lives his legacy.

AIDS group pushes for measure to form city health department in L.A.

AHF — Sat, 11 May 2013 00:57:41 +0000

L.A. Times
by Ari Bloomekatz

A nonprofit healthcare group announced Friday that they filed enough signatures with election officials to qualify a ballot measure that would let Los Angeles residents vote on whether the city should have a Public Health Department separate from the county’s.

Officials with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has long been critical of the L.A. County Department of Public Health, said they turned in roughly 70,000 signatures (50,000 of which they believe are valid) from residents who think voters should decide the issue, which would likely be in June 2014.

“We are heartened that…residents of the City of Los Angeles agree that this issue should be brought before the voters to decide whether or not to create a separate and independent City of Los Angeles Public Health Department,” Michael Weinstein, president of the foundation, said in a statement.

In the past, Weinstein said the county’s public health department does a poor job of disease control and is too big.

Most recently, the foundation strongly criticized the county’s handling of a few cases of meningitis and resulting public health concerns.

But many city and county officials worry that creating a separate city department could actually result in fewer services for residents. In March, City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana told The Times that the city simply doesn’t have the money, expertise or facilities to enforce public health laws.

“It would be very difficult, if not impossible, for the city to get in the business of healthcare,” Santana said. “The city is simply not in a position to take this on.”

The city once had its own health department but disbanded it in the 1960s and residents now rely on county services. The county department is charged with working to avoid infectious disease outbreaks, reduce chronic illnesses and maintain the safety of food and water in the city and county. They are also in charge of emergency preparedness for the county’s 10 million residents.

Civil Rights Leader Julian Bond Joins “Keep the Promise on AIDS” March in Cleveland, OH

AHF — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:14:07 +0000

Advocates to gather at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Plaza on May 11th at 12:00 noon; Marchers will call for funding and support to fight HIV/AIDS in Ohio and around the world
Musical guests joining civil rights leader Julian Bond onstage include R&B star Brandy, artists Kaoz and Conya Doss, and the Shaw High School Marching Band, whose performances will inspire the crowd before the March begins

Hundreds of advocates and community leaders are expected for the “Keep the Promise on HIV/AIDS” March and Rally on Saturday, May 11th beginning at 12:00 noon in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Plaza and ending with a rally and free concert at the Renaissance Hotel at 24 Public Square in Cleveland, Ohio. The event is the fourth U.S. march — supported by “Keep the Promise” marches in Kenya, South Africa, Swaziland, and other countries severely hampered by funding cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) — in a series calling on officials to commit to stopping AIDS. Cleveland’s rally features Julian Bond, one of America’s foremost civil rights leaders. Musical talent includes a performance by the Shaw High School Marching Band, local Cleveland artists Kaoz and Conya Doss, and R&B songstress and superstar actress Brandy.

Created by AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) the “Keep the Promise” campaign brings together local and national advocates along with spiritual and political leaders to remind elected officials that the fight against HIV/AIDS is not yet won. To honor the awareness raised by the campaign and its importance in Ohio, Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson issued an official proclamation recognizing May 11, 2013 as “Keep The Promise Day.” The proclamation states that “the City of Cleveland joins local, national and international groups to express our support for Keep the Promise Day and the initiatives to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and provide access to and utilization of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and support services to those affected by HIV/AIDS.” Additional supporters of the Cleveland “Keep the Promise” rally and march include the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland (ATGC) and Cincinnati’s Caracole, Inc.

This fourth “Keep the Promise” march follows the inaugural “Keep the Promise” March on Washington in July of last year, when a coalition of 1,432 organizations from 103 countries came together before the XIX International AIDS Conference to call for more global HIV/AIDS funding. Reverend Sharpton was among the special guests who participated, including Wyclef Jean, Ambassador Andrew Young, Tavis Smiley, Dr. Cornel West, Margaret Cho and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. In his rousing address, Reverend Sharpton called on the faith community to rise to the challenge of fighting HIV/AIDS in their communities. Watch an excerpt of his inspiring speech in the following short video: “Keep the Promise Webisode 3: The War on AIDS Has Not Been Won.”

Advocates from cities throughout Ohio—including Dayton, Toledo, Cincinnati, and Columbus—will be traveling by bus to Cleveland to support the “Keep the Promise” goals and join in the rally and march. Participants are advocating for: increased and maintained funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and care; the pharmaceutical companies to reduce AIDS drug prices; support for HIV prevention programs; and support for healthcare reform.

“This march in Cleveland sends a message to national, state, and local officials to ‘Keep the Promise’—that now is not the time to retreat in this fight. In order to stop AIDS in this country and around the world, there must be mobilized efforts like this one to demand access to treatment and medication; to urge drug companies to lower their inflated prices; to support and to ensure equity in HIV prevention, treatment, and care services for all people living with HIV,” said Terri Ford, AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s Chief of Global Advocacy. “The question is no longer can we end AIDS, but will we end the AIDS?”

According to a report from Harvard Law School’s Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, approximately 10,000 Ohioans are currently living with HIV, and another 8,600 individuals are living with AIDS. However, these numbers only account for people who are aware of their HIV/AIDS status, and national estimates project 20% of people living with HIV/AIDS have not been tested and are unaware of their status. According to an HIV/AIDS Surveillance Program conducted by the Ohio Department of Health, men were consistently diagnosed at a far higher rate than women between 2007 and 2011 (about 78% men to 22% women).

Consistent with national statistics, HIV/AIDS incidence was highest in Ohio’s African American population, which accounted for over 56% of new diagnoses for each of the five years tracked in the Department of Health report. Rates in the African American community have been slowly but consistently rising since 2007. Also on the rise are rates among youth aged 13-24, particularly among 20- to 24-year-olds, who went from accounting for 1% of new diagnoses in 2007 to 4% in 2011. Though the highest incidence by age was among people aged 45 – 64, those age groups showed a slow but steady decline in new diagnoses over the years studied, a trend that can only be mirrored in the younger demographics through an increase in prevention education.

“Access to preventative education and access to affordable treatment lies squarely at the feet of the state and federal governments,” said Joseph Terrill, AHF’s Director of Community Mobilization. “Young Ohioans deserve a chance to stay HIV-negative by receiving the preventative education that will keep them safe. More importantly, all Ohioans living with HIV and AIDS have the right to affordable medication – that means pharmaceutical giants like Gilead need to lower the prices of the HIV treatments they manufacture, and the Obama Administration must re-authorize the Ryan White CARE Act, which provided over 17,000 people with treatment and care in 2010.”

Organizations from across the state have signed on in support of the “Keep the Promise” march, with partners including: The City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga Office of Homeless Services, Miami Valley POZ 4 POZ, Cleveland’s Metro Hospital, Ebony Sisters Campaigning for AIDS Prevention Education (ESCAPE) from Columbus, Dayton’s First Baptist Church, Kettering’s Harmony Creek Church, and the ADAP Educational Initiative from Columbus.

Also in attendance at the March will be AHF’s Condom Nation a safer sex initiative that aims to distribute 50 million free condoms this year in the U.S. through a national tour of a 72-foot custom-wrapped “Condom Nation”-themed big rig.

A “Keep the Promise” march in Atlanta, Georgia on November 3, 2012 served as a clarion call to better address HIV/AIDS in the South, through funding, health care reform, prevention and care in rural areas, and affordable housing for people living with HIV/AIDS. The third “Keep the Promise” rally and march—this time in New York City – was held in April and featured both a rousing concert and an inspiring march across the Brooklyn Bridge.

More information about the “Keep the Promise” effort can be found at www.keepthepromiseonAIDS.org and by following the group on Facebook and on Twitter @KTPonAIDS.

3,000 at Nairobi Rally Proclaim: “No Retreat on AIDS – Treatment for All”

AHF — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:54:37 +0000

Over 3,000 advocates marched through Nairobi, Kenya from Jevanjee Gardens to Uhuru Park on May 10th in a call for funding and support to fight HIV/AIDS in Kenya and around the world – two of Kenya’s top musical artists, Daddy Owen and Jaguar performed at the Uhuru Park rally

NAIROBI – AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), in conjunction Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (KANCO), organized a NO RETREAT ON AIDS march in Nairobi, Kenya from Jevanjee Gardens to Uhuru Park on Friday May 10, 2013 to protest the loss of lifesaving and much-needed funding. The inspirational movement saw more than 3,000 united in a call for greater responsibility for controlling HIV/AIDS in the East African nation from governments around the world, particularly those of the United States and Kenya.

“We had a successful march and rally today,” said Dr. Faith Ndungu, AHF Kenya Country Program Manager. “We marched through the city center raising awareness for HIV funding and pulling more people who joined us along the way. At Uhuru Park, speaker after speaker spoke about the progress achieved through support from governments, PEPFAR, and the Global Fund – and the need for continued and increased funding.”

Among the dignitaries stressing the importance of sustained U.S. government investment in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the support of more governments for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was Hon. Zipporah Kittony, the Health Committee Vice Chairperson of the Kenyan Senate, who has also served as a member of the Parliament and on the Committee of the National AIDS Control Council.

Kittony said she appreciated AHF and the partnering Kenyan civil society organizations (CSOs) for bringing issues surrounding HIV funding and the sources of such funds to light. Additionally, the dignitary promised to work in her position at the Senate to ensure more funds are allocated to health and that the Kenyan government implements a five-year pledge plan with a strong emphasis on health.

Additional guests of honor included Majority Chief whip of the Kenyan Senate Hon. Beatrice Elachi, who flagged off the march after addressing the gathered crowd, which began congregating at Jevanjee Gardens as early as 7 am and had reached more than 3,000 people by 9 am. Top Kenyan musical artists Daddy Owen and Jaguar both performed at the Uhuru Park rally after the march and speeches.